New Classical CD arrivals

In this week’s classical CD additions we highlight some new orchestral recordings from much-loved composers.

Symphony No. 7, Bruckner. Performed by the Gewandhausorchester, with Andris Nelsons.
“The continuation of Andris Nelsons’s much-admired Bruckner cycle with the Gewandhausorchester. Here they play the Seventh Symphony – premiered in 1884 by this orchestra and now recorded live to mark its 275th anniversary and Nelsons’s inauguration as Kapellmeister. ‘Under Nelsons the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester is clearly at the very top of its form, savouring its great Bruckner tradition to sonorous effect’ (BR Klassik…)” (cover).

Le Quattro Stagioni, Vivaldi. Performed by Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque.
“Together with the star players of Brecon Baroque, Podger guides listeners through the cycle of nature and life. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons have become one of classical music’s best loved works. However, most recordings adopt a strikingly similar approach to these scores, and familiarity has blunted the music’s edge. Podger’s new recording aims to reset the clock – refocusing on the ingredients that make The Four Seasons so special and reminding listeners of the remarkable freshness of Vivaldi’s invention.” (amazon.com).

Symphony No. 6, Mahler. Performed by Minnesota Orchestra, with Osmo Vänskä.
“…Osmo Vänskä has a reputation for engaging with even the most iconic scores at face value, avoiding preconceived ideas and ‘time-honored’ traditions. His and the Minnesota Orchestra’s recording of Mahler’s Sixth follows upon the 2017 release of the composer’s Fifth Symphony. Nominated to a 2018 Grammy Award, that interpretation has been described as at once committed and detached, intense and transcendentally timeless (Norman Lebrecht) and an exceptional performance that promises great things to come (allmusic.com).” (amazon.com).